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Widower's 'Mad Mad' tree plan memorializes wife

Les Woodard poses in front of the palm trees he had installed in a W formation as a memorial to his late wife, Rita, at his home in Palm Coast. Woodard had the trees planted in his yard to resemble a scene from the 1963 film "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," his wife's favorite movie.

Last Modified: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 4:43 p.m.

"I'm falling apart," he said. "It's terrible. It's the worst thing in the world. I thought I was a strong person."

After a long fight with cancer, Rita Woodard, 69, died Dec. 20, 2012.

Les Woodard, 71, needed comfort. He needed some sort of catharsis. He's been reaching for it each day since his wife's passing.

He has memories of Rita kissing him before he leaves for work, laughing at his jokes, cooking in the kitchen, working in the garden and watching movies in the living room.

That last memory conjured an idea. He and his son came up with a way to honor Rita — by borrowing an image from her favorite movie and turning it into a shrine in his front yard.

"I drew my version and my son drew his up," said Woodard. "They were very similar to each other."

"They were almost dead-on," his son, James, said.

Four palm trees were planted last week in Woodard's front yard. They are angled in the shape of a "W."

In the Spencer Tracy caper comedy "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," one of the characters, played by comedian Jimmy Durante, crashes his car along a treacherous road. He tells a group of men who come to his aid he had buried a cash treasure under a big "W" in Southern California. Various characters throughout the movie -- including Lennie Pike, a tow truck driver played by comedian Jonathan Winters, who died Friday -- scramble to the site of the supposed treasure in an effort to obtain the money.

Les and Rita Woodard first saw the movie together at a drive-in theater while they were living in New Jersey. It premiered in 1963, a couple of years after they were married. Every time it came on TV, Rita would drop everything to watch it. She often invited her husband and children into the living room to watch it with her.

"I thought it was the greatest movie and she did, too," said Woodard.

The palm trees were situated and planted in Woodard's yard last week. Butcher's Nursery in Daytona Beach sold Woodard the trees and handled most of the chores, including the digging and lifting.

Woodard watched as the men dug a giant hole that dropped about 3 feet. The trees were hauled from South Florida to his house at the corner of Selma Trail and Seferis Path. One tree was carried to the hole by a Bobcat skid-steer loader and was planted into the hole. The men shoveled dirt around the base of the tree to stabilize it. They repeated those steps three more times.

Woodard and his son stayed and watched the process, which took an entire afternoon and cost about $1,500.

Each of the Washingtonia palms weighs about 2,500 pounds.

Washingtonia palms were chosen because that variety of tree doesn't have a "big canopy head," said Ty Niehaus, who picked up the trees, hauled them and oversaw the project. If there are too many leaves at the top, the tree will act "like a sail in the wind" and react too much to whatever breeze passes through, he said.

The trees are about 20 feet high. The two trees that make up the middle of the "W" are crisscrossed below the canopy. They potentially could grow to 40 feet or more, said Niehaus.

Woodard's neighbors were amazed at the lengths he went to honor his wife. They love how the trees look as much as they like the sentiment behind it.

"I just thought it was wonderful. I thought it was absolutely great," said neighbor Dik Truax, who watched as the crew planted the trees. "I almost cried when I heard him talk about his wife. I told a lot of people about it ... It's an impressive sight."

"I have a bunch of great neighbors," said Woodard. "They just couldn't believe I was doing it. They were like, 'Who does that?' They've been very supportive. People come by all the time gazing at it and asking questions."

James Woodard spent a couple of months away from his home in Rhode Island to be with his father. Both of them needed the moral support.

In addition to the W-shaped palm trees, James and his father constructed a flowerbed in front of the trees in the shape of an "R."

"She was a very kind woman," James said of his mother. "She wasn't the type who was quick to judge. I put her through a lot of stuff, but she stuck by me."

Woodard, a retired mechanic and truck driver, said he loves how his yard looks. He sees it every day. The W-shaped trees bring back his favorite memories of Rita. He's been coping better.

"It's exactly what I had hoped for," he said. "I don't know how to describe it. I feel in touch with her. I really do."

<p>PALM COAST &mdash; Grief has sunk its hooks into Les Woodard. </p><p>He seemed to wrestle with it every minute of every day.</p><p>He doesn't sleep well. He cries often. </p><p>He misses his wife of 51 years. </p><p>"I'm falling apart," he said. "It's terrible. It's the worst thing in the world. I thought I was a strong person." </p><p>After a long fight with cancer, Rita Woodard, 69, died Dec. 20, 2012. </p><p>Les Woodard, 71, needed comfort. He needed some sort of catharsis. He's been reaching for it each day since his wife's passing. </p><p>He has memories of Rita kissing him before he leaves for work, laughing at his jokes, cooking in the kitchen, working in the garden and watching movies in the living room. </p><p>That last memory conjured an idea. He and his son came up with a way to honor Rita &mdash; by borrowing an image from her favorite movie and turning it into a shrine in his front yard. </p><p>"I drew my version and my son drew his up," said Woodard. "They were very similar to each other." </p><p>"They were almost dead-on," his son, James, said. </p><p>Four palm trees were planted last week in Woodard's front yard. They are angled in the shape of a "W." </p><p>In the Spencer Tracy caper comedy "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," one of the characters, played by comedian Jimmy Durante, crashes his car along a treacherous road. He tells a group of men who come to his aid he had buried a cash treasure under a big "W" in Southern California. Various characters throughout the movie -- including Lennie Pike, a tow truck driver played by comedian Jonathan Winters, who died Friday -- scramble to the site of the supposed treasure in an effort to obtain the money.</p><p>Les and Rita Woodard first saw the movie together at a drive-in theater while they were living in New Jersey. It premiered in 1963, a couple of years after they were married. Every time it came on TV, Rita would drop everything to watch it. She often invited her husband and children into the living room to watch it with her. </p><p>"I thought it was the greatest movie and she did, too," said Woodard. </p><p>The palm trees were situated and planted in Woodard's yard last week. Butcher's Nursery in Daytona Beach sold Woodard the trees and handled most of the chores, including the digging and lifting.</p><p>Woodard watched as the men dug a giant hole that dropped about 3 feet. The trees were hauled from South Florida to his house at the corner of Selma Trail and Seferis Path. One tree was carried to the hole by a Bobcat skid-steer loader and was planted into the hole. The men shoveled dirt around the base of the tree to stabilize it. They repeated those steps three more times. </p><p>Woodard and his son stayed and watched the process, which took an entire afternoon and cost about $1,500. </p><p>Each of the Washingtonia palms weighs about 2,500 pounds. </p><p>Washingtonia palms were chosen because that variety of tree doesn't have a "big canopy head," said Ty Niehaus, who picked up the trees, hauled them and oversaw the project. If there are too many leaves at the top, the tree will act "like a sail in the wind" and react too much to whatever breeze passes through, he said.</p><p>The trees are about 20 feet high. The two trees that make up the middle of the "W" are crisscrossed below the canopy. They potentially could grow to 40 feet or more, said Niehaus. </p><p>Woodard's neighbors were amazed at the lengths he went to honor his wife. They love how the trees look as much as they like the sentiment behind it. </p><p>"I just thought it was wonderful. I thought it was absolutely great," said neighbor Dik Truax, who watched as the crew planted the trees. "I almost cried when I heard him talk about his wife. I told a lot of people about it ... It's an impressive sight." </p><p>"I have a bunch of great neighbors," said Woodard. "They just couldn't believe I was doing it. They were like, 'Who does that?' They've been very supportive. People come by all the time gazing at it and asking questions." </p><p>James Woodard spent a couple of months away from his home in Rhode Island to be with his father. Both of them needed the moral support. </p><p>In addition to the W-shaped palm trees, James and his father constructed a flowerbed in front of the trees in the shape of an "R." </p><p>"She was a very kind woman," James said of his mother. "She wasn't the type who was quick to judge. I put her through a lot of stuff, but she stuck by me." </p><p>Woodard, a retired mechanic and truck driver, said he loves how his yard looks. He sees it every day. The W-shaped trees bring back his favorite memories of Rita. He's been coping better. </p><p>"It's exactly what I had hoped for," he said. "I don't know how to describe it. I feel in touch with her. I really do."</p>